Travis Head’s Perth century kicked off Australia’s Ashes party, and now his home-town hundred could secure the urn after a day of dominance in Adelaide.
With victory in the third Test enough to wrap up the series, Australia went to stumps on day three at 4-271 and with a second-innings lead of 356 runs.
Already England would need to pull off the greatest ever fourth-innings chase at Adelaide Oval history to win this Test and claw their way back into the series.
And as has been the case for each of his past three hundreds in Adelaide and again last month in Perth, it was Head who was the hero for Australia.
After Ben Stokes (83) and Jofra Archer (51) breathed life back into England with the bat on Friday morning, Head sucked it right back out of their bowlers.
The South Australian went to stumps unbeaten on 142, celebrating his century in the final session by taking off his helmet and kissing the Adelaide Oval pitch.
The left-hander knelt down and kissed the pitch after entering rare air with his latest feat: he became the fourth Australian to notch centuries in four successive Tests at the same venue.
The peerless Sir Donald Bradman achieved the feat twice, at the MCG and Leeds in England; Michael Clarke scored four in a row in Adelaide; and Steve Smith has done likewise at the MCG.
Alex Carey was there alongside him, 52 not out following his first-innings century, sharing an unbroken 122-run fifth-wicket partnership with Head.
The pair’s runs came at a crucial time too, after Stokes and Archer’s 90-run ninth-wicket stand took England to 286 and limited their first-innings deficit to 85.
Australia fell to 1-8 and 2-53 when Jake Weatherald (1) and Marnus Labuschagne (13) both fell, leaving the door open for a fightback by the tourists.
Weatherald will have some regret over his dismissal, given his lbw to Brydon Carse would have been overturned for pitching outside leg had he reviewed the initial call.
Usman Khawaja made 40, but was caught behind when he edged a short wide ball from spinner Will Jacks just as he looked likely to make a statement.
And Cameron Green came and went quickly for seven to leave Australia 4-149, adding further questions over whether the allrounder belongs at No.5.
Where Head was all crash and bash in his series-opening fourth-innings century in Perth last month, there was more finesse about this one early.
The South Australian routinely worked the ball through the backward-point region, releasing the pressure in the initial stages
England were also guilty of making it far too easy for the left-hander, playing with one slip and no gully and a man back while feeding him balls outside off stump.
Even when they did change their approach and crowded the region with seven men on the offside, Head still pierced the gap and square-drove Tongue to the boundary.
As the innings went on, Head began motoring and England’s bowling began to wane rapidly.
He hooked Carse for one six over fine leg after getting inside a bouncer, and cleared the rope once more when he hit Jacks back over his head.
Head’s century then came when he used his feet to Joe Root and hit him for four down the ground, after a nervous eight balls stuck on 99.
Included in those eight balls came Head’s only life, when Harry Brook put down a tough chance at gully when the left-hander slashed at an Archer ball.
Stokes, meanwhile, did not bowl on day three after pushing his body to the absolute limit during a 198-ball vigil.
All that, though, could be for nothing as England stare down the barrel of Australia keeping the urn for a fifth straight series.